How?

How can I make eLearning resources accessible?

“When UX doesn’t consider ALL users, shouldn’t it be known as ‘Some User eXperience’ or SUX?”
Billy Gregory

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eLaHub video explainer

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1. How to use eLaHub.net to make your eLearning resources accessible

• Our examples include Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 A, AA and AAA standards, WCAG recommendations and also suggestions from other sources e.g. GOV.UK.
• For each example, we have created an instruction page which translates the guideline or recommendation into plain English. It also gives practical demonstrations using rapid eLearning authoring tools.
• You can access our instruction pages from the list of examples on this page. These are grouped according to the four types of impairments.
• You can also access our instruction pages from the site header, or the icons on the home page. These are grouped into 3 categories, WCAG Level A, WCAG Level AA, and Advisory.

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2. eLaHub standards and recommendations

WCAG divides its standards into four categories; Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust. If you are new to eLearning accessibility we think it’s easier to divide the standards according to each of the four types of impairments they cater for. This also makes sure that our instructions cover a broad range of impairments.

Select the links below to access our instructions and examples.

Visual impairments

• Add alternative text to all visual elements.
• Provide transcripts and audio description for videos.
• Ensure meaning is not conveyed by colour alone e.g. green for correct and red for incorrect.
• Ensure high contrast text, visuals, and navigation items.
• Ensure learner can enlarge text up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.

Hearing impairments

• Provide captions for videos, ideally which can be turned on and off.
• Provide transcripts for audio and video resources.
• Allow user to pause audio, or control the volume.
• Avoid background audio behind speech.
• Avoid audio only instructions or warnings (e.g. if a question is answered incorrectly).

Motor impairments

• Make it easy for the learner to navigate using a screen reader e.g. use header styles.
• Ensure that your content follows a logical structure for a screen reader user.
• Make sure that a learner can use your resource without using a mouse, only a keyboard.
• Allow learners enough time to complete tasks, or do not set time limits.
• Use inclusive instructions e.g. select instead of click.
  

Cognitive differences

• Provide explanations of complex vocabulary and abbreviations.
• Use clear and consistent navigation.
• Allow your learner to pause, stop or hide any moving elements.
• Do not include any content which flashes more than three times per second.
• Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for the content.

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3. eLaHub example rapid authoring tools

For our examples, we have chosen three rapid authoring tools which show different approaches to eLearning authoring.

• Articulate Storyline
• Trivantis Lectora
• CourseArc

Our eLaHub examples are not endorsements of these tools. They are just the clearest way, we could demonstrate how to meet the standards and recommendations which we give.

We want eLaHub to help as many eLearning professionals, using as many different rapid authoring tools as possible. If you have any examples using a different tool which you would like us to include, please contact us.

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4. Disclaimer

The instructions we give, are our interpretations of a selection of the WCAG 2.1 standards and other accessibility recommendations. To make sure you meet all WCAG legal requirements, please refer to the full W3C WCAG 2.1 guidelines.

Each of our instruction pages is currently in a Beta state. We have asked for suggestions and recommendations from other eLearning professionals. We will be happy to make any changes, in order to improve them for everyone in the eLearning community.

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